Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Despite the fact that Zach Budish missed the entire season due to a torn ACL he suffered in a playoff game with the Hornets football team back in October, he was still regarded as one of the top Minnesota high school players in this year’s draft. A big reason is his outstanding performance at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, where Budish led Team USA in goal scoring with three goals and added two assists in four games. CSS ranking going into the draft: 22nd among NA skaters. Budish got back on the ice at Nashville Predators conditioning camp in July 2009, and will attend the 2009 U.S National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid.

2009-10: Budish appeared in 39 games as a freshman for the University of Minnesota, putting to rest any worries about the knee injury he suffered playing football during his senior year of high school. The bruiser scored 7 goals and 10 assists for 17 points in his first collegiate season.

2010-11: Budish was off to a fast start in his sophomore season at Minnesota, scoring 2 goals with 4 assists in the Gophers’ first seven games, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in a moped accident. Minnesota finished fifth in the WCHA.

2011-12: Both Budish and the Gophers had a comeback season. Minnesota returned to the top of the WCHA and the junior was a big part of that success. Budish was plus-20 and scored 12 goals with 23 assists and had 43 penalty minutes in 43 games for the first-place Gophers. After having lost to North Dakota in the WCHA tournament, Minnesota defeated the Fighting Sioux in the NCAA West Regional Final to reach the Frozen Four.

2012-13: Budish signed a two-year entry-level contract with Nashville in April and made his pro hockey debut with AHL Milwaukee following his senior season at Minnesota. He played nine regular season games with the Admirals and three games in the playoff series against Texas. Budish scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was +6 with 2 penalty minutes. He was a team captain for Minnesota as the Gophers tied for first in the WCHA in their final season before heading to the new Big Ten Conference. Frequently teamed with center Erik Haula (Minn),Budish scored 14 goals with 22 assists in 40 games and was +17 with 14 penalty minutes. The Gophers lost to Colorado College in the WCHA semifinals and fell 3-2 in overtime to eventual national champion Yale in the NCAA West Regional semifinals.

2013-14: Budish split his first pro season between Nashville AHL affiliate Milwaukee and the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. He spent most of the year with the Admirals — seeing limited ice time — before being sent to the Cyclones at the end of February and participating in their playoff run to the Kelly Cup finals. Budish scored three goals with six assists and was plus-four with 22 penalty minutes in 41 games for Milwaukee. He scored three goals with six assists and was minus-four with six penalty minutes in 16 regular season games for Cincinnati and in 24 playoff games he scored six goals with five assists and was plus-seven with 12 penalty minutes. Cincinnati lost to Alaska in six games in the Kelly Cup finals.

Talent Analysis

Budish is a complete player. At nearly 6’3", he certainly has size. Budish is a powerful skater who has remarkably good speed and acceleration for such a big man. He has great instincts, good vision, and makes very good decisions in all three zones. Budish utilizes his large frame and strength very well, including on the physical side and is quite difficult to move off the puck. He can deliver some solid checks without taking himself out of the play. He also has great hands and superb playmaking ability.

Future

Budish was the 41st player taken in the 2009 NHL Draft after dominating Minnesota high school hockey but was more of a two-way forward during his college career and it looks like that will be his niche in pro hockey. Entering the second year of his initial two-year entry-level contract, Budish will push for a more significant role with Nashville AHL affiliate Milwaukee in the 2014-15 season with hopes of one day cracking the lineup of the parent club.

Photo: After leading the Admirals in points and skating in 16 games with the Predators in 2012-13, Taylor Beck will return to Milwaukee as a featured skater for Milwaukee (courtesy of Danny Murphy/Icon SMI)

Since their inception the Nashville Predators have been built primarily through the draft. A year removed from a season mired by free agency and injury struggles, general manager David Poile had to question the depth of NHL-ready talent in his prospect pool as the season wore down.

Photo: Owner of the fouth overall pick in 2013, Nashville has not made a pick in the first round since selecting Austin Watson 18th overall in 2010 (courtesy of Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI)

After missing out on the playoffs this season, the Nashville Predators are in a precarious situation heading into this weekend’s NHL Draft. General Manager David Poile and the Preds hold the fourth overall pick and with a number of options for picks. Last year the Predators appeared to be a team that could contend for a cup title, but heading into next season, the Predators look like a team in a mini-rebuild. The Preds have only had one general manager in the history of their franchise, and the club is putting their faith in Poile to make the right choice with the highest pick since the franchise's first draft in 1998.

Photo: Miikka Salomäki ranked fourth on Team Finland in points at the WJC before finishing his third pro season with Kärpät in the SM-liiga (courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Nashville Predators have a lot of youth in various European leagues as well as the NCAA right now. Out of their 13 prospects that play either overseas or in the NCAA, eight of them have been drafted in the past two entry drafts. The presence of players like Jimmy Vesey (Harvard, ECAC) and Pontus Åberg (Djurgårdens, Hockey Allsvenskan) suggests high offensive capability down the road for the Predators; however, true to Nashville tradition their prospects are predominately two-way players, and there are no better examples of this than Kärpät Oulu’s Miikka Salomäki and Minnesota Golden Gophers’ captain Zach Budish.

Photo: Defenseman Ryan Ellis is part of a young group of Nashville blueliners trying to help the team recover from the loss of Ryan Suter. (courtesy of Danny Murphy/Icon SMI)

The Nashville Predators have been one of the most consistent teams over the last five years in terms of style of play. Barry Trotz and David Poile always put a team on the ice that has a defense-first mentality, and the system that the Milwaukee Admirals employ develops players that fit this mold perfectly. Homegrown players like Jonathon Blum, Roman Josi, and Gabriel Bourque have successfully made the transition from prospect to full time NHL player, and there are other players, such as Ryan Ellis, that are looking to make that jump soon as well.